Sunday, August 31, 2014

While visiting my hometown of San Francisco, of course I had to visit the Ferry Building. Though a tourist destination, it's still a beautiful SF landmark that I missed while on the east coast. I was lucky to come during a heat wave in the city, which made it that much more gorgeous!

Waiting for lunch with a friend in my fave TobiAztec skirt and Old Navy flip flops.

Around the side of the Ferry Building, you get the best views of the Bay Bridge. Here it is, connecting with FiDi.

Bay Bridge and Angel Island

Another SF staple. Pretty sure we bonded and he was totally posing for this pic.

Headed inside the Ferry Building for some lunch. San Francisco Fish Company caught my eye, and at $2 per oyster, the price was right.

I got two Fanny Boy and two Blue Point oysters. Both were fresh and delicious.

Some great wall art inside the fishery.

There's really nothing like a warm day in San Francisco. Though rare, these days are my absolute favorite.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

This summer we took a trip down to Virginia for a friend's wedding. We flew into Washington, D.C. a day early to see the sights and history of this tiny but powerful city.

The memorials and monuments are situated along a long strip of park known as the National Mall.

Tastes On the Fly for breakfast at Boston Logan airport! A farm-to-airport establishment with a modern design.

I got a wheat bagel with cream cheese. Wish they had cinnamon raisin!

Cool floor art at Reagan Airport in D.C.!

Washington National Monument - so tall!

Top from Tobi, purse + shorts from Target

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

This is the actual spot where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood to give his I Have A Dream speech.

The Lincoln Memorial was much bigger than I thought it was going to be!

Some adorable wildlife just chilling in front of the reflecting pool.

One of the many free museums along the National Mall.

World War II Memorial

The World War II Memorial had an interesting and inspiring design. Columns were built for each state of the U.S., signifying how in World War II the country really had to rally together towards a common cause. This was entirely different from, say, the Civil War, where the country was fighting itself.

On the ground at the WWII Memorial.

Looking up.

The Capitol Building!

Our trip to the National Mall was motivating, humbling, and a workout all in one. It's amazing to actually stand in the places where so many important moments have happened and where decisions are made for our country. It's also great to see memorials and monuments commemorating our history's important past - so we can continue to remember, learn, and grow.

Comment Challenge: If you could visit any city or state in the U.S., where would you go?

Friday, August 29, 2014

In the heart of Boston's Financial District lies a new venue with an old-timey feel. Established just this year, Bostonia Public House is situated on the corner of The Board of Trade Building not far from Faneuil Hall.

I came here with a fellow blogger and we were swooning over everything from the decor to the menu. Read on to find out why!

Bostonia Public House

I love the venue's corner location - it allowed designer Taniya Nayak to adorn tall, wide windows along both sides of the restaurant. As an avid people-watcher and food photographer, I love the natural lighting and street views that these windows provide.

These chairs are no joke - they are heavy duty and exquisitely comfortable, with handles on the back to help you pull them out.

I ordered a morning tea and was brought this adorable tea carrier. Extra points for the waiter who was patient enough to deal with us food bloggers asking for a picture!

I went with the Green Tea Passion, and was pleasantly satisfied with it's full flavor.

Allow me to introduce the scrumptious Fork Tender Meatballs, with parmesan cheese and basil oil. I was blown away not only by the flavor, but the presentation of this dish.

We ordered a variety of oysters, each of which was incredibly fresh and not too briny.

Yum!

Oysters are so fun to eat! When finished, I love to put them back on the ice upside-down so I can see their beautiful shells.

How gorgeous is this presentation? Here you see the incredible Lobster Roll & super fresh Heirloom & Arugula Salad.

My Lobster Roll was served cold and jam-packed with delicious ingredients such as avocado, corn, and even a side of pickles. I love dill pickles, so this was a welcome surprise! The brioche roll was thick, sweet, and perfect. The fries themselves were great as well - not too thick and not too small. I could not recommend this dish more!

Bostonia is full of adorable details, if you know where to look. This vintage typewriter was set up for patrons to leave notes for the management, and each day every note is read! I think this is a great testament to not only attention to detail, but to ensure the voice of the patrons are being heard - and not just on Yelp, but in an old school paper-and-pen style.

Last but certainly not least, we have the doughnut holes. These glorious desserts are actually Sweet Potato Doughnut Holes, and fried with bourbon. That's right, instead of empty fried dough (as good as that is), these are made from sweet potatoes. They still tasted much like regular doughnuts, only they were much heartier and had a bit of a rustic flavor. I highly recommend these as an end to your meal here!

All in all, our visit to Bostonia was glorious. They seem to have a knack for putting a spin on the classic dish - from sweet potato doughnuts to avocado lobster rolls.

Word on the street is that their brunch menu (served on Sundays), has a divine menu and a Bloody Mary Bar! We just may have to come back to try this as well - and I hope they still have those doughnuts!

Comment Challenge: I love lobster rolls! Do you have a favorite lunch item?

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Boston's restaurant scene is really booming these days. There are hundreds of restaurants to choose from, each with a different spin on your everyday meals. Even Brookline's Regal Beagle Chef Stacy Cogswell was recently chosen as a contestant on Top Chef. The city is slowly transforming itself into a foodie destination, and it's exciting to be here to experience it!

Deep Ellum

One venue we've been wanting to chow down at is Allston's Deep Ellum. After finally venturing out there, it turns out it lives up to all the hype! Read on to find out why.

The tattoo-centric, rock star vibe of Deep Ellum really reminds me of some of the best spots back home in San Francisco. We chose to sit outside on the patio, which was packed with people yet we had no wait! That's the best balance if you ask me.

The sun was beaming down with all its strength, but thankfully the venue set up colorful bright orange tents to protect their diners. If only these tents would ward off the buzzing bees that seemed to be just as enamored with Deep Ellum as the patrons!

How magnificent does that look?? The entire menu was seriously mouth-watering. From the portugese sweet bread french toast, to the kielbasa and egg sandwich, it was hard to pick just one.

Nick ordered the Duck Confit Hash, which came complete with the braised swiss chard, fingerling potatoes, and red peppers topped with two fried eggs.

The dish was presented on an adorable skillet, and was deliciously seasoned to perfection.

Though I usually go for the french toast option, I've been opting for savory as of late. I went with the Deep Ellum Breakfast Burrito, which came packed with scrambled eggs, house made chorizo, potatoes, salsa verde, longhorn cheese and crema. I got the salsa on the side since I wasn't sure how spicy it was, but I would suggest to get it inside the burrito - it was so delicious I ended up dripping it on every bite!

The burrito was cooked perfectly and I pretty much devoured it. Coming from someone who prefers a sweet dish in the morning, this should tell you how great the dish is! It was hard to put it down.

My go-to rings at the moment. The horseshoe ring is from one of my favorite Boston boutiques, Bobbles & Lace, and the oui ring is from The Fashion Truck! I'm pretty obsessed with them both.

After brunching, we took a stroll and stumbled upon an interesting ice cream shop named FoMu. This paleo shop in Allston offers all coconut-based ice cream, so of course I had to try some! I picked my favorite ice cream flavor - chocolate chip cookie dough. The flavor was certainly interesting, and perfect if you have a dairy allergy or are on a paleo diet.

All in all, Allston seems to have a lot of interesting food venues to choose some! We can't wait to come back and visit again.